Machine fok planing plank boards and clapboards



UNITED 'STATES 'PATENT OFFICE. y d

BARNABAS LANGDON, OF TROY, NEW YORK.

MACHINE FOR PLANING PLANK BOARDS AND CLAPBOALRDS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 555, dated January 9, 1838.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, BARNABAS LANGDON, of thecity of Troy, in the county of Rensselaer and State of New York, haveinvented a new and Improved Mode of Planing Plank Boards and Clapboards;and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exactdescription.

The nature of my improvement consists in providing machinery that in itsoperation will produce an horizontal reverbratory movement by which theplank or board is driven in a lengthwise direction before a stationaryplane stock set with cutters so as to plane and smooth the plank,reducing it at the same time to a required uniform thickness and also byproviding an additional apparatus for the purpose, groove and tongue andstraighten its edges, all at one operation. For these purposes the faceof the plane which presents the edges of the cutting tools is in itscrosswise direction to be fixed vertically and by means of a verticalplate fixed at such distance from it as shall be equal to the requiredthickness of the plank. One side of the plank is borne and kept againstthe face of the plane while it is shaved through by a steady progressivemovement from end to end between them, the reverbratory movement whichis to effect this operation being at least equal in extent to the lengthof a plank provision made for a like operation upon separate plank eachway. This for plank or boards of ordinary length will require a frameabout forty feet long and three feet high which may consist principallyof two timbers of that length and about ten inches square with legs orother support. These timbers should be fixed about six inches aparttheir whole length.

The reverbratory movement'for driving the plank may be produced by meansof a rack and pinion at the center of the frame with such provisions bygears or otherwise in connection with the operating power for propellingthe rack and giving it its back and forward movement as are commonlymade and applied for like purposes. The rack E, (Figure 4) is to beabout twenty feet long of cast iron and placed horizontally between thetop timbers of the frame with its edges extended into grooves providedfor them in their inner surface about two inches from the top andextending their whole length.- The dimensions of the I grooves F, F,(Fig. 4) are to be such and the rack so fitted to them as to be wellsupported thereby and at the same time slide freely one way or the otherin the direction of its length. The bottom surface of each groove may belined with iron ork other metallic plates to allow the rack to slidetherein with -greater ease or it may move u on friction rollers attachedto the inside surface of the timbers.

Upon the top of the rack at'A each end there is to be an uprightstandard of iron for driving the plank or board. This should be abouteighteen inches `long horizontally and twelve inches high more or lessand thinner than the end of the plank against which it is to be borne inthe process. Each driver D, D (Fig. 4) is fitted into a dovetail and maybe exchanged for one of a different size when required. Upon the top ofthefront top timber of the frame at each end a plane vstock A, A, Fig.5, is'to be fixed, these are to be of cast iron about four feet long andfourteen inches high more or less.k Opposite the each stock on the othertop timberis to be fixed a cast iron plate A, A, Fig. `4., of -the samelength andl about the same height. These plates in their crosswisedirection are to be of a rectangular form, the angle running the entirelength of the plate, one wing or side of which being in nature of aflange to the other is to be placed horizontally upon the timberextended so as 4front and upright part of thefplate fo-r` keeping theplank against the face of the plane should be brough forward to a centerline of the frame. The face or front surface of this plate which is nextto the face of the plane stock is to be grooved or fiuted horizontallythe grooves to be about an inch wide and an inch apart. This is forthepurpose of reducing the surface of the plate and thereby lessening thefriction. Two or more cutting tools cb, a Fig. 4, should be fixed in theface of each of these plates for beveling one edge of clapboards onboards for siding as they pass through the machine and the other fortrimming and straightening its opposite edge at the same time so as tofit them for being snugly and closely laid upon buildings &c withoutfurther preparation. Y

, The plane stocks A, A,y Fi l5, are alsoto be secured inv theirl placey means ofr a plate extending out from the bottom of each and at rightangles with the face of the plane, but as the plane stock is to bemovable out and in, so as to be adjusted to the thickness of the plankor board to be planed slots extending in a crosswise direction should beprovided in the bottom plate, through which it is to be fastened to theframe. There should also be a bed plate H, I-I, Fig. 5, of cast iron xedupon the top timber of the frame with ribs or other provisions for thestocks to rest and slide upon. Each plane stock A, A, Fig. 5 and backplate B, B, Fig. 6, are to be secured together by two or more boltspassing through their top. Y

Each plane stock may contain five cutters or more 070, c c, Fig. 6. Fourof the forward ones are to have the line of their cutting edgesvertical. The others may be so inclined as to bring the top of the edgestwo inches more or less forward of a perpendicular line from the bottomof the same. This inclination is fo-r the purpose of preventing theplank from raising up, at the same' time giving a beveling cut tothe'plank inits operation. Each cutter may be fastened to a cast ironplate, B, B, Fig. 3, about an inch thick fitted to a seat provided forit in the throat of the plane stock in which it is to be fastened bymeans of a screw atthe top. Or they may be placed and secured Vthereinwithout the plates. The cutters are to be fixed in the stock at an angleof about forty five degrees with Vits face or according to the slantusually given to the irons of the common j oiners plane. Upon likecommon principals also the size and shape of the throat or opening foreach cutter is to be formed. Immediately fo-rward of each throat, across section of the face of thel stock about half an inch wide is to beleft as a permanent bearing against the plank, to prevent the cuttersfrom running into the grain of the plank or the plank from riding on tothe cutter. And from the back side of each cutter or of the plate towhich it is attached to the bearing forward of the next cutter in rearof the face of the stock is left concave or retreating by an inwardinflection extending across the face of the stock and is to be deepestbehind the cutter and terminating on the face line at the forward edgeof the next bearing, for the purpose of allowing the plank to pass alongwith the greater ease from one bearing to the other cutter. v

The edges of the first and second cutters are to be divided into narrowand separate sections or teeth each retaining its chisel or cutting edgeabout one fourth of an inch wide-leaving each when taken separately innature of a joiners plow plane. The space between the cutters is to beof the same width. This is to lessen the resistance and also to preventit from running into the grain of the plank or splitting it up. The faceof the plane stock between these two lines of cutters ismto be groovedor iuted horizontally so as to correspond with the surface of theplank'as thus kept by the operation of the first cutter. The ridges inthe plank passing in the grooves of the stock until they reach the nextdivided cutters which are to be so arranged as to take off theprojections left by the first-and a trifle below-they being set so as tocut a little deeper for that purpose. This arrangement may be soextended upon the face of the stock it being lengthened for that purposeas to admit two or more sets of fluted cutters. The third or the fifthcutter being straight edged will take o the projections left and bevelthe surface and those remaining to be passed will smooth it and afinishing polish will begiven to it by the face of the stock at the end.

In order to guide the plank or board and keep it in a straight directionas it is shoved forward by the driver, two clamps for that purpose areto be provided and placed one between each plane stock and the center ofthe frame. These are to consist of a back board to be fixed upon theback timber of the frame with a smooth and perpendicular surface infront Vabout ten inches high. This in order to answer as a back board B,Fig. 4, for each clamp may be extended fro-1n one back plate to theother upon the same line.

A clamp or slide as its counter part is also to be provided and placedon the front side of the frame of the same height as the back board andextending from each plane stock toward the center about sixteen feet orthe length of a plank. The vinner surface of each slide is to belike'the back board with their faces smooth and perpendicular. Eachslide D, D, Fig. 6, are to be movable out and in or to and from the backboardl This motion may be effected by means of two small shafts I-I, H,Fig. 6, of nearly the same length of the slide, supported in fixturesattached to the frame below the slides, having two or more short armsattached to the shaft at differentpoints, so that by turning the shaftone way or the otherby means of the handles I, I, Fig. 6, attached tothe shaft j direction the top of the slide raised about an inch aboveit. These should be placed about two feet apart along its Whole length,and extending through the back board and back plates at their loweredges so as to project forward of their front surface from one to twoinches. Each slide is made movable lengthwise in its bed or groove andby means of a spring fastened to the back side of the frame so as tobear against the slide and is pressed forward to its projecting point,the plank or board being placed upon these projections is supported andcarried forward upon them, the ends of each being so formed as to giveback upon its spring as the driver comes against it either way andimmediately returns to its station after it has passed.

The wheels or side cutters J, J, Fig. 5, for grooving, tonguing andstraightening the edges of the plank or boards are secured upon each endof the machine in cast iron frames. Each wheel is attached to ahorizontal shaft, one placed below and the other above the plank. Thetop. wheel is so arranged as to be moved up or down according to thewidth of the plank to be planed. The position of the wheels are verticalsecured upon t-he front ends of the shafts and operate upon each edge ofthe plank while passing through the stocks. A pulley is placed upon theback end of each shaft and the wheels are driven by means of leatherbelts from the operating power of the machine. r`he wheels are made ofcast iron or other metal, with seats or projections cast upon the frontor face side containinoF fivel or more sets of cutters, the 'edges ofwhich are parallel with the shafts or at right angles with the face ofthe Wheels. Each of these seats is provided with a slot or mortise toadmit of three cast steel cutters set in such a manner in the top wheelas to form the tongue upon the edge of the plank and in the lower wheelto form the groove. Upon the top of each set of cutters is placed a capor double iron which prevents the edges of the plank or board frombreaking or splitting up, they being set in the face of each wheel so asto strike the edge of the plank at an angle of about forty five degreesor that of a jo-iners plane thereby making a straight, smooth andfinished groove and tongue. The caps and the cutters are secured intheir place by means of a set screw upon each cap and upon the frontside against the cutters.

What I claim of the above described improvements and desire to secure byLetters Patent are- 1. The grooves or channels in the face of the planestocks with the arrangement of the cutters corresponding with thegrooves whereby the eXtra thickness of a plank or board is taken off orreduced with greater ease and eiiiect, the particular arrangement andconstruction of the plates or slides to which the cutters are fastened,the clamps with the back plates for guiding the plank or boards andkeeping them in a straight direction, the cross slides with theirsprings for supporting the plank in the operation of planing.

2. And I also claim the general combination of the parts of the machinetaken as a whole, for although many of the parts taken individually arenot new, yet the machine as above described is suiiicientlycharacterized by the arrangements of its respective parts, whether oldor new, to distinguish it from others previously constructed for thesame purpose.

B. LANGDON.

Witnesses JOHN C. LANGDON, HENRY D. LANGDON.

